


Amazing

by hudgens77



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, freak show au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 18:12:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4069666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hudgens77/pseuds/hudgens77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaneki Ken lived in a circus. His life was a freak show and he was used to the insults of the people... Until that boy, Hide, arrived and became his first friend. Platonic HideKane, based on the fanarts I made on my tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Amazing

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I finally wrote this, for everyone that said I should continue the freakshow AU. This is just a one-shot and Kaneki and Hide are just children, but I hope you like it. It's really fluffy.  
> Oh, well. Enjoy!

Kaneki Ken lived in a circus. His life was a freak show, but he was not the only one there.

There were the siblings, Touka and Ayato. There was flamboyant Shuu, sharp-tongued Nishiki and the littlest one of them, Hinami. They all shared some characteristics of an old creature that was now extinct: the ghoul.

Ghouls were now only subjects of myths and legends. It was known that ghouls used to be demons that fed on human flesh. There never were many of them, but most of them were brutal. And thus, after years and years of human and ghoul casualties, the human race won.

Yet, in the middle of the war, love bloomed too.

Kaneki and the rest of them were the living proof of that. They were the product of a human and a ghoul. They didn't need human flesh to survive. In fact, they were mostly human, but they did inherit the kagunes. A kagune was a ghoul's weapon. And when they showed it, their eyes turned black and their irises red.

There was no place for people like them: they were few. Ghouls didn't exist anymore and even if they did they would probably see them as unnecessary or even as a threat since they were like humans but with their powers. On the other hand, humans despised them because they reminded them of those brutal demons.

Naturally, a circus was the only place where they could possibly fit.

An old, bizarre man named Mado was their ringleader. Rumors said that he had fought the ghouls in Tokyo himself when he was younger, and that he became separate of his baby daughter due to the war. And because of that, he was now obsessed with creatures like them.

But Kaneki couldn't really complain. His mother had passed away a few years ago and he had nowhere to go. At least he had a place to stay now. At least he had food. Even if it was disgusting and he was malnourished. Even if he had to stand people's insults, mocks and even spit sometimes. He had to stand there all day long with his eye and his kagunes exposed, move them a little, and that was it.

He cared about the other ones there, of course. But he didn't really talk to them. After all, days were exhausting and when the night came all they wanted was sleep in those hard, old mattresses they had to sleep on.

Another day, another dollar; or so they said. For Kaneki it was food.

He stood in his place like any other day, trying to ignore the rude comments made towards him. As if he wasn't a living being. As if he didn't feel.

"Freak."

"Ugh, just look at that."

"He's really disgusting, isn't he?"

"I wish monsters like them would fucking die."

Kaneki cringed. Sometimes he cried himself to sleep, because he knew they were right. He wasn't a human. He wasn't a ghoul. He was a freak and a monster, just like they all said.

"Whooooa... Look at that!" Kaneki raised his head when he heard that, for he wasn't used to loud comments. Most of the people just mumbled, and the ones that yelled at him certainly didn't use that tone.

He looked at the small crowd gathered in front of him. They all wore expressions of fear or revulsion, except for one child in front of all of them.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed, placing his hands on his cheeks; his eyes and mouth open wide.

His clothes were flashy, but in a different way than Shuu's. He was wearing a yellow jacket and yellow tennis shoes that matched his mostly golden hair —he had a little black cowlick like a star in his roots.

And his eyes, his eyes were a stunning brown color. When Kaneki met them, the boy smiled wide at him.

Kaneki felt the heat rising to his cheeks. His heart was beating faster. No one ever, aside from his mother, had smiled at him so beautifully like that.

He looked away, ashamed of the emotion that came over him. But the boy didn't leave. Kaneki could feel his eyes gaping at him. It was different than the other people. It made him nervous, but not necessarily in a bad way.

He left after a while, only after waving at Kaneki goodbye. Kaneki didn't respond, too shocked to do anything, but he saw it with the corner of his eye. The boy went to where Touka and Ayato were and Kaneki observed him, curious to see if he'd tell them the same he told him. But he didn't. While it looked like he was sincerely in awe, he didn't watch the other freaks as long as he watched Kaneki, nor did he comment anything.

Kaneki watched him leave.

He came back the next day, though. And the day after. And the day after that one. He always stood at Kaneki's stand, watched him for a good while and left. When Kaneki dared to look back at him, he smiled.

By the end of the week, Kaneki was really curious. He wanted to talk to him. He wanted to get to know him, but he was too shy. Luckily for him, it looked like the boy was thinking the same thing, because one day he arrived at night, when the show was about to be over and didn't leave when everyone else began to do so.

"Hey," the boy approached and Kaneki's heart skipped a beat. "I just wanted to tell you that you're really cool!"

"Who are you?" Kaneki asked, stepping down from the little platform he stood on for the show.

"My name is Nagachika Hideyoshi," he introduced himself. "But you can call me Hide. What's your name?"

"Kaneki Ken."

"Nice!" the boy said. "Hey, Kaneki, would you like to be my friend?"

Kaneki blinked in astonishment. What?! But he barely knew him!

"You don't even know me."

"No, but I'd like to have a friend as cool as you."

Kaneki looked down. "I'm not cool," he said in a weak voice.

"Of course you are! You're like a superhero or something! You could save the world with those... umm... things!"

Kaneki almost laughed at Hide's naivety. "Kagunes," he corrected.

"Kaneki, aren't you gonna come?" Touka yelled at him. They were all leaving to go to sleep now. Kaneki glanced at Hide and then at her.

"I'll be there in a little while," he replied. "Don't wait for me."

Touka shrugged her shoulders and left. Now they were all alone in the main tent.

"She's cool too," Hide mumbled appreciatively. "You guys are all incredible. Why are you here?"

"Because," Kaneki bit his lip; "everyone hates us. We're only useful here."

Hide chuckled. "That's not true! You should be anywhere you want to be. You can do anything. Especially you, you're the coolest one of them!"

Kaneki blushed bright red.

"Um..."

"So, would you like to be my friend?" Hide insisted. "I don't have any, so would you?"

His face... He was like a puppy, all happy and excited. Kaneki just couldn't say no.

—Plus, he really wanted a friend too—.

"Yeah," he smiled nervously. "I'd like to."

"Awesome!" Hide exclaimed. "I'll come tomorrow, then. See ya!"

"Goodnight, Hide," a smile tugged at Kaneki's lips as he watched the boy leave. "Friend," he muttered to himself before going with the others to sleep.

* * *

Since then it became a habit for Hide to visit the circus daily, just when the freak show was about to be over. And when they all left he stayed playing with Kaneki.

"You really are amazing!" Hide screamed one day, laughing as Kaneki lifted him and shook him in the air gently with his kagunes.

"You actually think so?" he giggled. Hide's laughter was contagious.

"Yeah!"

"They like you," Kaneki stated happily, referring to his extra limbs.

Hide chuckled once more and extended his arms in the air, like he was flying.

Kaneki felt joyful. Hide made him feel like he wasn't as awful as people made him believe. He made him feel more like a person.

He remembered a passage from a book his mom read to him when he was littler. It was about a little prince and a fox who became friends, and Kaneki suddenly felt like he understood what the fox meant when he said that he'd feel happier and happier as the hour for Hide's arrival each day came closer. Or when he said that random things would remind him of his friend. He couldn't look at yellow things now without thinking of Hide. The sun itself was one of those things.

After a while, Kaneki carefully placed Hide in the ground. The blond was still giddy with excitement when he approached Kaneki and placed his hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "I have an idea! Let's get away!"

Kaneki stared at him, not understanding.

"What?"

"Come with me!" Hide said. "I... don't have a mom or a dad, but I live with other children in a big house nearby. They call it an 'orphanage'."

Kaneki chuckled quizzically. "I know what an orphanage is, Hide. But how exactly do you expect me to get away?"

"Well..." Hide shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like anyone is really checking on you or something."

Hide was right. Mr. Mado only checked the dirty tents in the morning, when he had to wake them up. He was there during the show, announcing the freaks in order to call people's attention. But when it was over he went back to his tent and didn't pay attention to them.

"B-but I can't leave them," Kaneki said. "And if Mado-san caught us, I don't know what could happen... Plus, how exactly do you expect me to go unnoticed with this?" he argued, shaking his kagunes.

"Can't you hide them?"

"Oh." True. He was so used to show them all the time that sometimes he forgot he could hide them whenever he wanted, and not only when he slept. He hid them and Hide grinned.

"See? That wasn't that hard!"

"But my eye..."

"I'll get you something to cover it, okay? I'll be back tomorrow night, same hour. Bye!"

"But... Hide... Wait!"

Before Kaneki could argue further, Hide ran away. Kaneki sighed.

He had a lot to think about.

* * *

Hide did as he promised. He arrived at the same time he always did, and when the show ended, he stayed a while playing with Kaneki. The boy was nervous, but he wouldn't bring it up. However, he couldn't avoid reality forever —and Hide took the first step.

"Hey, I have something for you," he panted when Kaneki put him down. He searched in his pocket and took off an eye-patch.

Kaneki stared at it, eyes wide.

"So..." Hide went on, "want me to help you put it on?"

Kaneki met Hide's eyes. He swallowed.

He did want to go with Hide, but he was too scared. He shrugged nervously.

Hide didn't say a word and tied the eye-patch when Kaneki placed it on his ghoul-like eye.

"It isn't too tight, is it?" Kaneki shook his head. "Good. So..."

"Kaneki, Hinami-chan can't sleep and she wants you to tell her a story... Oh. He's still here," Touka said bitterly, appearing in the main tent. Her eyes widened when she noticed Kaneki's new eye-patch. "Why are you wearing that? You know Mado-san like us to show our ghoul traits..."

"I-I won't need to anymore," Kaneki stammered. "Because I'm leaving."

"What?!" Touka snapped. "You can't do that! Are you gonna leave us just like that?!"

"You can all leave if you want to. Why are we here in the first place, Touka-chan?"

"No we can't," Touka replied. "Nobody will ever accept us as we are. We belong together here, Kaneki, as harsh as that sounds."

"Touka-chan, that isn't necessarily true."

"Isn't it? Even if you look like one of _them_ , Kaneki, that doesn't mean you are. What do you think they'd say if they found out that you are a hybrid?"

"Hide knows what I am."

Touka simpered. She looked at them with something akin to compassion.

"Hide's one in a million, Kaneki. Humans are terrible."

Kaneki could see true despair in Touka's eyes, and he realized that despite all those years there, he barely knew something about her life before the circus. But that wasn't going to stop him. His choice was made.

"I'm leaving, Touka-chan. And maybe you should all too. We're free to do what we want, so why are we stuck here?"

Touka opened her mouth to speak, but Kaneki didn't wait for her answer. He turned around, meeting Hide's eyes. The blond now looked insecure and sympathetic, but Kaneki nodded confidently and began walking towards the exit of the tent. Hide followed.

Touka didn't say anything else. She didn't want him to go, but it was his decision. She wouldn't stop him either.

She waited a few minutes and got back to the tent were the others were. When they asked where Kaneki was, she said with a blank expression:

"He left."

* * *

Hide took him to the orphanage. It was near the circus, by the outskirts of the city. Since it was the middle of the night and he didn't want to wake anyone up, Kaneki and he shared his bed. They practically didn't sleep, though. They stayed up making up stories and telling fairytales until dawn came and they fell asleep.

At morning, a beautiful woman woke them up. She came with a man. Hide called them "Akira-san" and "Amon-san". He told them that he'd found Kaneki living on the streets and decided to bring him with him. Of course, they weren't satisfied with that explanation and took Kaneki to their office where they asked him questions.

Kaneki tried to be vague and played along Hide's story. They didn't seem to be satisfied with it —orphaned boys just didn't appear out of nowhere. However, they let him stay at least while they investigated more about the boy. They took him with the doctor they had there, a man named Arima. Kaneki was anxious and he almost had a nervous breakdown when Arima tried to take his eye-patch off. He eventually gave up, assuming Kaneki suffered from PTSD. Yet, something in his eyes told Kaneki that Arima wasn't content with that explanation, and that he had to be careful.

Akira and Amon then took him to the dining hall and introduced him to the other kids. Kaneki sat next to Hide and the latter asked him how it all went.

When lunch time was over, most kids went to the yard to play. Hide offered to show Kaneki the place.

As he did, Kaneki told him of the questions they asked him and how the examination with Doctor Arima went. When Kaneki told him his suspicions, Hide's expression clouded and he said that they should be wary, because Arima was very clever, and so were Amon and Akira. Hide told him they were married. The rumors said that they were both orphans who grew up there and now they couldn't have children, so they took care of the orphanage. Kaneki almost pissed his pants when he tied up the loose ends and realized that Akira was probably Mado's lost daughter.

They had to be extremely cautious.

When they finished the little tour, they went outside to play. Kaneki wondered why Hide didn't go with the other boys and just stayed with him. Was it really true that he had no friends?

How could it be, though? Hide was so friendly... How come the other boys not appreciate that?

A week passed like that, and Kaneki realized what was wrong. Hide was being bullied.

They called him names. Things like "loser" or "weirdo". And now, they called Kaneki by those names too, just because they were friends.

Sadly, he was used to it. He thought his life would be different, but maybe Touka had been right.

But it wasn't that what bothered him the most. It was the fact that they picked on Hide. Hide, who was so kind and friendly and nice.

Hide noticed that Kaneki got angry when they did that, and he usually laughed it off and told him to calm down. And Kaneki did, but only because he couldn't risk being discovered.

It was one night during his second week there when he couldn't take it anymore, thought. For some reason, Kaneki couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened to the ones in the circus.

Hide woke up to go to the bathroom, and when he got back he noticed Kaneki was awake. He talked to him and became aware that his friend was worried about something, even if he didn't say it. So he suggested that they should go to the yard and play.

"It's like midnight," Kaneki stated, cocking an eyebrow. Hide shrugged.

"So?"

Hide had an incredible power to persuade Kaneki. Therefore, they tiptoed their way to the backyard.

Nonetheless, a few kids that bullied them woke up when they heard noise and they followed them.

Hide and Kaneki were playing hide-and-seek. Kaneki was counting while Hide hid behind a tree —maybe it was a stupid place to hide during daylight, but in the middle of the night it became much more effective— when one of the kids found him and called the others.

They insulted him. They shoved him and punched him. Kaneki heard yelling and noises and looked for his friend. He felt his blood boil when he saw what was happening.

He walked towards them, furious. He screamed and pulled one of them, trying to separate him from Hide, who was desperately trying to retaliate. The provocation caused the boy to snap at Kaneki and he shoved him to the ground with no difficulty.

What a big mistake.

Unable to control himself any longer, Kaneki released his hidden appendages. He took the three boys that were bullying Hide and lifted them in the air. The three of them screamed in panic and squirmed like worms in Kaneki's limbs, but it was no use.

Hide gasped. "Kaneki, don't!" he shouted, but Kaneki was out of it. He threw one of them to the ground, crashed another against a wall and squeezed the other one until he couldn't breathe.

"Kaneki, please stop!"

The two boys that were in the ground tried to run, but Kaneki caught them again. "You can beat me, hurt me, or even kill me... But don't dare touch Hide!"

"KANEKI, STOP!" Hide screamed once more, at the top of his lungs. When hearing Hide crying so desperately like that, Kaneki snapped out of it. He didn't mean to scare him.

Frightened of his own self, he dropped everyone to the floor.

The boys ran away as soon as they hit the ground, screaming in fear.

A sense of dread grew in Kaneki's mind. He hid his kagunes and began to shake uncontrollably.

"Oh boy, oh boy, what have I done?" he sobbed as he got to his knees. "What have I done?!" he repeated in a louder voice. He was a monster, a freak. He could never be trusted.

It'd be better if he was dead.

"Kaneki!" Hide screamed, worried for his friend. Kaneki looked at him like he didn't recognize him, his eyes so wide they may pop out of his skull at any moment. "Kaneki, are you hurt?"

Kaneki panted. Tears of horror began running down his face and he stood up, hyperventilating. He couldn't be trusted. At this rate, he might hurt Hide. And he couldn't allow that.

He ran away. "KANEKI!" he heard Hide screaming behind him and he ran faster. _No, Hide, don't come after me. I don't wanna hurt you!_

He escaped the orphanage, leaving his friend behind. The night was too thick and Hide lost sight of him. Kaneki was too fast.

Kaneki ran until he reached the only place where he knew he belonged. He might be a freak, a monster, but he wasn't the only one.

Maybe, as sad as it was, that was supposed to be his destiny... To be mocked by normal people, to have no friends...

But, as Kaneki got to the circus, he realized that things weren't the same as when he left.

"What..."

The tents were destroyed. There was no one there.

"WHAT?!" Kaneki's voice rose as he began to freak out. "Is anyone here?! WHERE'S EVERYONE?!"

Touka. Ayato. Shuu. Nishiki. Little Hinami, she must be so afraid.

Desperate, Kaneki walked around the tents and looked for something, anything within the debris.

But he found nothing. Nothing but destruction.

His heart stung with anguish. Realizing that the only people that could possible understand him and cared about him were gone, Kaneki curled up into a ball and cried.

Something terrible must have happened. They were gone and Kaneki wasn't there to help them, and now he didn't even have something to reminisce them.

He sobbed loudly, letting the pain and the guilt consume him.

Too busy mourning to care about anything else but the breathtaking ache in his chest, Kaneki didn't notice when Hide got there until he heard his voice.

"Kaneki! I knew I'd find you here," he said with relief as he approached his friend. However, when he realized the state he was in, he worried. "What's wrong?!"

Kaneki wanted to scream. How could Hide not notice the mess around them?

"I'm a monster, Hide, and a horrible friend!" he cried out. "I wasn't here when they needed me, and now..." he sniffed; "they're gone."

Hide gave him a sympathetic look. He sat down next to Kaneki and carefully patted his back. Kaneki was startled, how could Hide not be afraid of him after what he did?

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly. "But, haven't you thought that maybe they're not here because they left? Voluntarily, I mean."

Kaneki raised his eyebrows. "W-what?"

Hide gave him a friendly smile.

"I think you inspired them, Kaneki," he stated. "When you left, I think they realized that they could be free, too. You just reminded them what they knew deep inside them but forgot due to the rejection of the people. You showed them how amazing they actually are."

Kaneki wondered if Hide knew that the only one who was "amazing" was him, actually. Because Hide's smile could light up an entire city, and his inherent love for anything and anyone could bring the very best of people. Hide was like the sunshine: warm, dazzling, and beautiful.

But there was something that didn't leave Kaneki in peace. Why would someone like Hide like a monster like him?

"Why are you here, Hide?" he asked.

Hide shrugged and beamed widely and sincerely. "Because you're my friend!"

"But I'm a monster!" Kaneki replied, and Hide almost frowned when he sensed the actual fear in Kaneki's voice. "I can't be trusted! What if... what if I hurt you?!"

Hide took Kaneki's hand and squeezed it softly so he would calm down. "You won't," Hide said confidently. "And even if you do someday, I'll know that it wasn't on purpose."

Despite Hide's reassuring gestures and words, Kaneki couldn't help picturing the worst case scenario. "No, Hide, you should run away from me! I can't be trusted!"

"Kaneki!" Hide yelled. Kaneki gave a start. Hide was glaring at him, which was extremely weird. Kaneki was used to scowls and harsh tones, but not from Hide.

And suddenly, the blonde's features softened, leaving Kaneki breathless. "Kaneki," he repeated, this time tenderly. "I trust you. You are amazing, you just need to learn to control the power that you have. I'll be here for you."

"B-but—"

"I'm strong!" Hide exclaimed perkily. "Don't worry about me. You just need to trust yourself the way I trust you!"

Kaneki stared at Hide. The resolve in his eyes melted Kaneki's heart and as a result, more tears washed his face. He let out a small smile and embraced him.

"Thank you, Hide," he whispered sincerely.

Hide hugged him back.

"You don't have to thank me," Kaneki opened his eyes —he hadn't realized when he closed them in the first place— and let go of him. Now, Hide was wearing a grave expression. "My, my... What are we gonna do know?"

The reality of their situation hit Kaneki, hard. They had no place to stay.

And it was all his fault...

"You can go back to the orphanage," he said. It hurt. He didn't want to say goodbye, but he hated more the possibility of Hide living unhappily because of him.

Hide sighed stubbornly. "No. How many times do I need to tell you that we're friends? Friends stick with each other. Besides, look at the bright side... We're free! We can go anywhere we want!" he laughed. His eyes shone. "Where do you wanna go, Kaneki? What place would you like to meet?"

Kaneki looked to the ground, feeling self-conscious. He remembered all those tales his mother used to tell him when he was littler and before she died of illness. He remembered her voice, thick and soft with excitement as she spoke of the place where the land became wet and the water tasted the ground with tongues of foam and salt.

"The beach," Kaneki muttered in a craving voice. "I wanna see the ocean!"

Hide grinned jovially.

"The beach, then. And then what?"

They stayed up for a good while, talking and dreaming awake, making plans for the life that awaited ahead of them.

They were so busy chatting that they didn't notice the old man that passed by and looked at them from the distance.

Eventually, they fell asleep.

* * *

When Kaneki woke up, the first thing he noticed was that the surface he was lying on was too soft to be the ground.

He sat up with a start as he realized that he was in an unknown room. There was no one else but him and he freaked out. With his heart pounding loudly in his ears, he didn't even register the cup of coffee that was placed on the nightstand next to him. He just stood up, opened the door and ran downstairs —he was in a completely unfamiliar place. And where the hell was Hide?!

Preparing for the worst, Kaneki reached the first floor. However, his breath got caught in his throat as he saw that he was in a coffee shop, and his old friends from the circus were there.

Nishiki and Shuu were wearing a waiter uniform. Touka, Hinami and Ayato were dressed in casual clothes, but they were certainly much better than what they used to wear while in the circus. They were talking —whispering— about him, because when he made his appearance they all shut up and stared at him in something between surprise and excitement.

"Kaneki-kun!" It was Shuu the one who spoke first. "Oh, how we've missed you, chéri!"

"What..." Kaneki couldn't find the words, too bewildered to think straight. "What are you doing here?"

"We followed your steps, Kaneki," Touka said with a grateful smile. "The moment you left, we realized nothing could hold us back. We tried to leave, but Mado-san caught us. So..."

"We attacked," Nishiki went on. Kaneki finally understood why the circus was practically destroyed when he and Hide found it. "And we set ourselves free."

Kaneki's eyes widened. He supposed he knew what Nishiki meant with that statement, and he didn't want to ask. Hinami trembled in fear and Touka embraced her, and that was enough confirmation for Kaneki. Something terrible had happened, but... at least he was glad they were safe.

"Yeah. And then Kanou-san found us when we had nowhere to go and offered us a place to stay," Touka said. "Y'know, he's like us. He used to be in a freak show too when he was young, so he made this café to help people like us. As long as we look like them, nothing bad will happen to us anymore."

Kaneki gulped and faked a smile. He was happy for them, he truly was. Yet... he couldn't stop thinking about Hide. Where was he?!

"Guys, I'm glad but—"

He couldn't finish the sentence. He heard someone running and felt a pair of arms hugging him from behind. The gesture was so unexpected that Kaneki almost lost his balance.

"Kaneki!" Hide cried happily, hugging his friend so hard he almost left him breathless. "You're safe!"

Kaneki felt a wave of relief washing over him. All of his friends were safe and sound. There was nothing else he could ask for.

"Yeah, Hide. I'm safe."

* * *

Right after Hide showed, Kanou made his appearance and he explained to the boys that they could stay there if they wanted to. Even Hide, despite the fact that he wasn't a "freak".

Shuu and Nishiki were the only ones old enough to be waiters at the café, but the others helped with some chores. Their lives weren't like a nightmare anymore. They were mostly uneventful, but serene. They consisted mostly of working and talking and getting to know each other better. Kaneki realized how much he didn't really know the others until then. Hide became a part of the group really easily thanks to his outgoing personality.

And one day like any other, he proposed something Kaneki couldn't really refuse to.

It was afternoon already. Nishiki and Shuu were attending the last of the clients while Ayato and Touka helped Kanou in the kitchen. Hinami was in her room and Kaneki and Hide were outside, playing —they earned it, for they were the ones helping all morning.

"Hey, Kaneki, let's go to the beach!"

Kaneki laughed. "Whaaat?"

"Let's go!" Hide repeated. "You wanted to see the ocean, didn't you?"

"Well... yeah," Kaneki scratched his nape nervously. "But the others—"

"...are busy. C'mon, we'll be back before they close and they won't even notice. I want to show you a sunset in the beach!"

Hide was so excited, Kaneki just couldn't say no. It wasn't because he wanted to go so badly too, no. He did it for Hide.

"Okay," he said with a small smile. "Let's go!"

Hide chuckled. "That's the spirit!" he grabbed Kaneki's wrist and pulled him. They ran for a few minutes, thankfully the beach wasn't too far away.

"Unbelievable," Hide panted when they arrived. Kaneki bent forward and rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "You're such a weakling."

It wasn't precisely a compliment, but the soft way Hide said it told him that it wasn't meant to be an insult either.

Still, Kaneki raised his head and tried to glare at him —but he couldn't, because the view in front of him was just too dazzling for him to stay mad.

The sky was like a deep blue canvas tainted with nuances of orange, pink and yellow that the transparent water mirrored in waves. And oh, it was a big amount of water. It was endless.

Hide laughed with pure joy at Kaneki's delighted expression. He took off his shoes and Kaneki did too. The ground was soft.

"Come," Hide said invitingly. Kaneki took his hand and Hide slowly guided him to the place where the waves kissed the sand. It was moist and cold. The water touched his feet and Kaneki couldn't help a shiver, but it was wonderful.

"Do you like it?" Hide asked, intertwining his fingers and placing his hands behind his head. Kaneki nodded, too amazed to speak.

"Yeah," he said breathlessly. "It's beautiful."

Hide smiled. "I knew you'd like it," he stated quietly, and then fell silent.

They stood there until the sun disappeared. Hide didn't want to pressure Kaneki, but it was starting to get dark and they had to go back. Luckily, Kaneki understood.

"We can come back another day," Hide said as he put his shoes back. His feet were wet and sandy, but he'd shower when they got home. "We can even ask Kanou-san if everyone can come. I don't think he'll say no."

"I think they'd all like that," Kaneki agreed. Hide nodded with a small beam.

"You ready?" he inquired. Kaneki bobbed his head. His shoes were already on.

"Yeah."

"'Kay," Hide stretched his hand for the other boy to take it. "Kaneki... Let's go home."

Kaneki smiled. He finally had a home to get back to, all thanks to Hide.

And it was amazing.

**Author's Note:**

> You can see the fanarts here:  
> http://hudgens77.tumblr.com/post/119558356715/freakshow-au  
> http://hudgens77.tumblr.com/post/119716948900/more-of-the-freakshow-au  
> http://hudgens77.tumblr.com/post/120645252455/finally-heres-the-3rd-and-last-part-of-the


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